


The Mysterious Mechanical Monastery

by quebaek (anonymousloris)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Adventure, M/M, Mystery, Post-Apocalypse, Robots, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 13:57:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10855401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymousloris/pseuds/quebaek
Summary: If couriers were truly talented, they would choose to climb over the mountains between the city and the southern settlements instead of going around. Occasionally they would pick a path that would lead them past a very peculiar monastery on the cliff side. A stone building carved out of the mountain itself and covered in depictions of gods and machines.Every now and then a weary traveller would pass by and seek shelter within.For Baekhyun, that was an exciting thing.





	The Mysterious Mechanical Monastery

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt inspired me in a way I hadn't been inspired before, and, although this is a brief story, I hope you like it as much as I did. I'd like to thank my beta who saves me with commas, my reader who leaves great critique, and my idea bouncer for being so creative. I'll tag you all later and know that you've made this a great time. Thanks for reading this in advance!

There was a time before all of this. A time when you might hear somebody say that they liked thunderstorms. Rain against the roof was a comforting sound to many trying to rest at night.

But now every soul on earth trembles when they see a dark cloud or feel the hardened earth shift beneath their feet.

There was a time before all of this when hospitals could accept everyone. The first time people came with skin peeling off and broken limbs, the ER would jump into action, but now it’s an expensive fee and they hardly accept anyone.

The world was chaos when it happened. Vegetation became scarce and the scientists who could grow anything became the most important people in the world. Wars ruined cities and lives over basic resources. It’s only been a few years since the world unanimously decided that fighting was only going to bring mankind closer to an end.

People struggled on, however, as they usually do. If they could make something or grow something they would trade for other things and care for their families. If they could read the weather and the land they would travel from settlements to the city carrying packages.

If these couriers were truly talented, they would choose to climb over the mountains between the city and the southern settlements instead of going around. Occasionally they would pick a path that would lead them past a very peculiar monastery on the cliff side. A stone building carved out of the mountain itself and covered in depictions of gods and machines.

Every now and then a weary traveller would pass by and seek shelter within.

For Baekhyun, that was an exciting thing.

* * *

His fingers brushed a little dirt off the tiny screen of the black and white monitor. Their camera showed a boy just outside the doors, obviously debating whether or not to enter.

“He’s younger than most.” Chanyeol noted.

Baekhyun nodded as he squinted at the mess of pixels on the screen, “I hope he stops.”

They both studied the monitor for a bit as they watched the traveller go through the routine, checking the wind, sky, and trees. The computer had told them a storm was coming earlier so they knew only a foolish traveller wouldn’t stop at the monastery for shelter tonight.

“A traveller?” Kyungsoo asked, walking up behind the other boys.

“A courier I think.” Chanyeol answered, “And young.”

Kyungsoo smiled, “You know what we should do, right?”

Baekhyun’s eyes lit up, “Oh yes! Come on, we have to. Chanyeol --”

Chanyeol laughed, “Okay, okay fine. Go greet our new guest now.”

* * *

Sehun knew the clouds in the distance meant trouble. He had taken a different path across the mountains today since he was in less of a rush than usual. Some may call it stupidly risky, but Sehun always enjoyed taking different routes from place to place. Occasionally it causes problems and he’s not quite in the mood to let that be the case today.

He turns to the monastery and fixes his pack on his jacketed shoulders. The dusty exterior led him to believe that it was empty so he padded his way up to the ostentatious doors and reached for the handle. However, his tug was met with tons of stone cold resistance. He glanced up at it from beneath his hat to see if maybe there was another way in.

That was when the door starting moving on its own. It slowly pressed against Sehun’s palm so he pulled it away and stepped back. In a slow creaking way, the doors pushed themselves to swing out and swept up the dirt as they went.

Sehun fixed his eyes on the dim entry way that was being revealed when eventually he spotted a cloaked figure making its way into view. He stood still as the person approached him, becoming clearer with each step and then as if in sync he stopped the moment the doors completed their path.

“Welcome, weary traveller.” Baekhyun called, channeling all of the monk training he’d had into a very calm voice.

“Welcome to where?” Sehun asked, sparing no formality.

Baekhyun stifled a laugh. That was a first time for that sort of response, “You’re looking at the Order of EXO. A Monastery established some 20 years ago to provide safety for those who need it.”

Order of EXO? That definitely did not sound like an inviting name, but he had very little choice since the dark clouds drew nearer as the sun began to make its bed of the horizon. Sehun squared up and nodded, “I could use a place to stay for the night? I promise not to bother.”

“No bother, travellers stop here all the time.” Baekhyun motioned for him, “Come in and meet the brothers.”

* * *

The hall into the cliffside felt unbearably long. The smaller boy in front of him led the way with his mousy brown hair and very light steps as if he was bouncing down the stone chasm.

Eventually they came to a large open area that was decorated ornately, but had no occupants. This was where Baekhyun paused before turning into the nearest room. Sehun liked this new room. It smelled like vegetables, meat, and spices. It had been so long since he had eaten well prepared food. He was by no means a chef and hadn’t seen one since his last trip to the city.

Baekhyun interrupted the thought, “This is brother Kyungsoo. He’s our chef. And there’s brother Chanyeol.”

Kyungsoo didn’t look up, his intent was set on the carrots and green onions he was chopping away at. Chanyeol, however, popped up from the other side of the table and waved at Sehun.

“Hi, I’m Chanyeol!” He said with a little too much enthusiasm, “Though I guess you just learned that … Food?”

Chanyeol snatched a piece of carrot that Kyungsoo had just cut and popped it in his mouth.

With a swift motion and deadly eyes, Kyungsoo brought the knife to point to Chanyeol, “Don’t. Unless you want to lose a hand. These are for dinner.”

Chanyeol laughed and put his hands up, “Whoa sorry, man.”

Kyungsoo went back to chopping up those carrots as Baekhyun watched the whole scene unfold.

He turned to address Sehun, “Despite Soo’s attitude, you’re welcome to eat with us tonight. He makes probably the best meal you can get outside of the city. Not that I’ve ever had the experience to back that, it’s just what the other travellers have said.”

“I have my own food.” Sehun said softly, not wanting to impose, “It’s tough to grow food, I don’t want to--”

Just then Chanyeol went for a piece of carrot again. Without hesitation, Kyungsoo brought the knife down on Chanyeol’s wrist.

“Holy shit!” Sehun let out suddenly, watching Chanyeol’s hand fall to the floor.

Baekhyun leapt forward just as suddenly, screaming as if he were taking part in a low budget slasher film. Chaos immediately erupted in the kitchen. Chanyeol collapsed onto the ground next to his hand, yelling and whining in a similarly over-the-top fashion. Kyungsoo stepped back and began laughing in a maniacal fashion.

In the disruption Sehun flattened himself against the nearest wall, wide-eyed and his adrenaline shot eyes searching over the bloody scene.

Except … there was no blood.

And the maniacal laughter had turned to triple. 

And it wasn’t maniacal any longer it was just … laughter?

Chanyeol popped up from behind the table, laughing hysterically and holding his own hand. He dropped that on the table as he doubled back down to the floor and howled in amusement. Kyungsoo sat down next to a wall with tears in his eyes and Baekhyun couldn’t manage to stay upright either.

“What is …?” Sehun stepped away from the wall, over Baekhyun, and right up to the table where he grabbed Chanyeol’s hand.

He looked at the line of detachment and saw shimmering metal and whirring pieces of machinery where blood and tissue should be.

Sehun managed to get his mouth working, “You have a robot hand?”

Kyungsoo took in a sharp breath, “Not just the hand.”

Sehun looked at Chanyeol who was close to getting his chuckles under control, “You’re a robot.”

Chanyeol nodded his head vigorously, “Soo too.”

“And …” Sehun pointed to Baekhyun who was behind him.

“No, no.” Baekhyun waved him off, “I’m human.”

Sehun turned the hand over in his own in amazement. He had seen tons of robots in the city, but none quite as convincing as this.

“Okay …” He looked up, “I’ll take that meal now.”

* * *

There was a dining table, but it was long and intimidating, so once bowls of stew were handed out, they all sat in carefully carved wooden chairs near the fireplace.

The common area had become sparsely populated since Sehun arrived with a few others walking around. As the others ate, he looked around to catch glimpses of the other inhabitants of the stone shelter. Some were more obviously robotic than others. One only seemed human from the neck up, his flowing robes barely covered the clouded metal of his metallic limbs. But like many robots in the city they all had faces and personalities.

Sehun looked back at the boys who were joking as they ate.

“I swear if we rearranged anything in here Junmyeon would be upset for days and have no idea why.” Chanyeol said, sipping at the broth before him.

“Why haven’t we thought of doing that yet?” Kyungsoo looked around with mischievous intent.

Sehun looked more closely at the cook’s eyes, noting that they were not, in fact, those of a real human. Whereas Chanyeol had small brown eyes that moved and adjusted like those of a human, Kyungsoo’s didn’t react the same way. They were big and deep, but certainly not real.

“Hey, buddy.” The other boy snapped at him, “What’s your name, I can’t ask you to help me move furniture if I don’t even know your name.”

Sehun blinked, “My name is Oh Sehun.”

“I love that.” A voice from behind him said.

Sehun turned to see another boy approaching. He instantly recognized him as a teaching robot by the way the boy looked and spoke.

“Sehun means to serve the world with virtue. How interesting. Do you think you live up to it?” He slumped into a chair beside Baekhyun, “My name is ChenBot. Chen means daybreak, though, so I’m not sure how I can live up to a name like that seeing as I don’t really enjoy the mornings. You can call me Jongdae for real.”

“You’re a teacher?” Sehun asked.

He nodded, “I teach here. Anything you need to know.”

Baekhyun jumped in, “You can tell he’s a teaching bot?”

Sehun nodded.

Baekhyun assumed he must not be much of a talker and egged him on, “Well … how do you know then, Mr. Smarty Pants?”

“I’m a courier so I run packages between the city and surrounding settlements. There are lots of teaching bots in the city actually.” Sehun felt as though he had proved his knowledge, “There’s your answer, Mr …”

“Oh.” Baekhyun realized he had never given the boy his name, “Byun Baekhyun at your service. I should really introduce you to everyone, but they’re going to sleep soon so it’ll be just us.”

Kyungsoo nodded, “You’re right. I’ve felt sluggish the past hour. Ready Chanyeol … Jongdae?”

They both nodded and stood up, taking their dishes with them. Sehun had so many questions, but the formalities of cleaning up and leaving seemed to be such a familiar routine, and he hated to intrude. As with most every other situation he remained quiet and watched them go.

After they left for the kitchen and ultimately wherever robots go to sleep at night, Baekhyun returned to the chairs where Sehun was and sat down with a sigh.

“So what do you want to know?” Baekhyun asked, pulling his feet up to sit cross legged on the chair since Junmyeon wasn’t up any longer to judge him for it, “Travellers always have questions. You look afraid. Lucky for you I have all the answers.”

“Not afraid.” Sehun stated, “Though I do have questions.”

“Go ahead.”

“So everyone here is a robot?”

“Except for me.” Baekhyun smiled and looked down at the place where the woven carpet ended and the stone floor began beneath him, “I suppose one answer will just lead to more questions.”

Sehun nodded and placed his empty dish on a stone block next to him where a lone lantern sat.

Baekhyun continued, “This place is a monastery. It was intended to be a safe shelter for parents to send their kids, so the Goddess could protect them from the storms. It was to be staffed by recycled robots and filled with children who needed shelter. I was one of those kids.”

“Where are the rest now?” Sehun asked, watching the expression on Baekhyun’s face closely to see if he had overstepped the line.

“Four of us arrived early here. Me, Tao, Luhan, and Yifan. My parents were scared of letting me be bused to this place so they took me on their own. The bus full of children along with the man who was supposed to run this place got caught in a particularly bad rainstorm and never made it.” Baekhyun seemed to have drifted off into memories at this point, but the story felt rehearsed and simple so he felt no sadness in telling it to Sehun like he had with every other traveller that had come to pass, “Yifan and Luhan were older and left a while ago together to seek out the city. Tao felt an obligation to stay, but he was always falling ill. One day a doctor came to stay with us and knew of a place that could treat Tao so they left together. That was a couple of years ago as well.”

“But you’ve stayed. Why?”

Baekhyun crumpled his brow. That was a question he had never been asked. At least not in a way that questioned the ideology of his choice. He was off script, but the distant sound of rain urged him to think on his response.

“I love it here. These people may be robots but they’re also my friends. Chanyeol is my best friend. I can’t imagine a life without him.” He shifted in his seat, letting his legs drift out of their crossed position until his feet were on the floor, “Plus I’m not like you and the other travellers. I couldn’t last a day out there. As much as I’d love to see the world.”

“Well your parents must be worried about you. I’m sure they’re out there waiting to hear from you.” Sehun couldn’t help but add.

He regretted the question though, watching Baekhyun’s face turn melancholy.

“I received correspondence long ago that they had passed.” He pulled a string out from under his clothes that had two rings on it, “These were their wedding rings. It’s all they could give me.”

There was some silence as they sat there and thought over the conversation. Sehun was struggling with a good response and eventually spoke a soft, “I’m sorry.”

“Nah,” Baekhyun blew him off, “It was so long ago and I didn’t really know them. These guys are my family really.”

“Hmm …” Sehun leaned back in the chair and let his eyes flutter shut for a second. That was the moment when the gravity of just how long he had been travelling hit him.

“Tired?” Baekhyun must have read his mind.

Sehun opened his eyes again, “I can just sleep here.”

Baekhyun raised an eyebrow, “Or you can sleep in the spare bed in my room like a human being.”

Sehun huffed jokingly, “Well I suppose I have to now.”

Baekhyun laughed, hopping up from his chair and beckoning Sehun down the halls that trailed off from the main area. Once Baekhyun had disappeared beyond the corridor’s turn, Sehun followed.

* * *

He woke up to the distant sound of rain. After years of only sleeping a few hours a night, it was near impossible to get a full night’s sleep. Yet, when he glanced over to see Baekhyun asleep with his mouth slightly open and his arm hanging off the side of the wooden bed frame, Sehun felt a little drowsy again.

His eyes fluttered shut again and he slept for an hour or so more.

* * *

When he woke up the second time, he could still hear the rain falling. That didn’t surprise him since rain could fall for days at a time and cause the whole world to stop. Yet, he also heard people moving about beyond the door.

Then there came a gentle knock at the door.

Baekhyun shifted a bit, his eyes scrunching up and his breathing diverting from its slower, deeper, sleepy pattern.

“Junmyeon …” Baekhyun mumbled, still not totally awake, “I have a guest.”

A voice beyond the door laughed, “Well, don’t sleep in. Bring him out here.”

“Mmm …” Baekhyun groaned, rolling onto his back and pulling his arm up to wave the voice away, “Yeah, yeah, in just a minute.”

Sehun chuckled since it was a funny scene to experience. The voice beyond the door found it humorous too and he laughed as he walked away.

Baekhyun spent a few more moments with his eyes shut and his hands on his chest before he finally sat up. His hair was probably a mess as usual, and for a moment he felt somewhat self-conscious about it. A quick glance over to Sehun revealed that he looked exactly the same after waking up as he did during the day. How embarrassing.

“Wash up?” Baekhyun said quickly, jumping up from his bed and opening the chest of drawers that sat at the end of the bed.

Sehun sat up himself and talked through a yawn, “I wouldn’t want to use the--”

A towel to the face quickly cut off Sehun’s sentence.

“I don’t care.” Baekhyun said, “I’m not letting the only other human here smell bad.”

Sehun pulled the towel off of himself and gave Baekhyun a funny look. The glare made no impact on the young monk though, since he had already opened the door and headed off.

* * *

After he had washed up, he came back to find that his clothes were clean and folded up on the neatly made spare bed. He looked around to see if the culprit was nearby, but it seemed Baekhyun had already headed to the common area and the rest of the robots were elsewhere.

Deciding not to fuss about that detail, he changed and quickly headed to the common room where he was floored to see the entire monastery going about its daily routine in a much more lively fashion than it was last night. This was also when he noticed that there was a skylight built at the top of the common area from thick glass so the whole area was illuminated with natural light hitting the mountain top.

“Coming through,” Came Kyungsoo’s voice as he blasted past Sehun’s shoulder with a pot full of something that smelled fantastic.

Kyungsoo headed directly for a table where Baekhyun was sitting with Chanyeol and a couple of others, so Sehun followed after him.

Once Kyungsoo got to them and put the pot down on their table, he announced its contents, “Cinnamon oatmeal?”

“Of course, soo.” Chanyeol responded with a smile.

Baekhyun noticed Sehun then, “He’ll have some too.”

Before Sehun could argue, Kyungsoo grabbed bowls and started dishing it out, “Perfect.”

“No more turning stuff down, yeah?” Baekhyun kicked the chair beside him out, “And take a seat, maybe?”

Sehun cracked a smile because the gesture was funny, and he took a seat at the table, “So you guys actually eat?”

Chanyeol laughed, “I’m built to eat. Kyungsoo has to be able to eat to synthesize the tastes and stuff. Makes him a better chef.”

“But the rest of the robots just recharge like usual.” Baekhyun noted, taking a bowl that kyungsoo offered him and sparing no time eating up.

A bowl was suddenly in front of Sehun, and he would be lying if he wasn’t elated to see a warm breakfast meal. Normally he just ate fruit or a protein bar in the mornings to get enough energy to break down camp and start moving again. This monastery was quickly becoming his favorite stopping location.

However, food was a resource that wasn’t plentiful after the rains, so whenever he goes somewhere he’s careful not to eat too much. They seemed to be unafraid of that problem here.

As if in answer to his question, two more bots came over, smiling and chattering.

“Baekhyun!” One of them called.

Sehun recognized him as the voice belonging to Junmyeon from earlier.

“Oh, hey.” Baekhyun dropped his spoon for a second to greet him.

“This is our traveller? Nice to meet you, I’m Junmyeon and I’m in charge of everything that goes on here. This is Yixing. He’s our scientific unit and resident gardener.” Junmyeon pointed to the robot next to him.

“Yixing. Pleasure to meet you.” He bowed slightly, “Calculations say the rain may last a day or two so feel free to stop by my lab sometime. I’d love to hear what’s going on in the outside world.”

“I’m Sehun and I look forward to it.”

He watched the two of them head off and thought about them both. They all looked to be in tip-top condition, but Yixing seemed to be from elsewhere. Besides having Chinese characteristics, he spoke and acted in a way that was reminiscent of Chinese programming. Junmyeon was definitely an older unit, but Sehun still pegged him as one of the management bots. Use of those bots has declined a lot since the rains began, but there are some still floating around where they can be considered useful.

He noticed that all of his oatmeal was gone. Or had been gone? He was pretty hungry when he woke up. Kyungsoo came and cleared the plates away, leaving just Chanyeol and Baekhyun to banter mindlessly.

“Can I ask another question?” Sehun started, “I don’t want to be rude.”

“Won’t know until you ask.” Chanyeol said, knowing full well what was coming.

“So why are you …” Sehun bit his lip and paused, considering his words carefully.

“So human-like?” Chanyeol raised his eyebrows.

“Well, yes.”

Baekhyun’s eyes followed Chanyeol as he sat up straighter in his chair. He gave his spiel every so often, talking about where he’s been to any traveller who stayed long enough and cared to ask. It was something he liked to share and Baekhyun enjoyed seeing his eyes light up as he did so.

“In the city there are still families of rich people. I guess even the apocalypse can’t stop classism, right?” He chuckled for effect, “One of these couples had a kid that had a disability and instead of nurturing him themselves they had me built to be like a big brother and teach him life skills or to be … as normal as possible. So I eat and I’m funny and I can show most every emotion. Hold applause.”

Sehun was fascinated by this. “Must have been a great technician. I would have never guessed you weren’t human.”

“Well when you pay the most, you get the best.”

Baekhyun laughed, “Guess they didn’t pay the most then.”

Chanyeol kicked him under the table and Baekhyun recoiled, flashing his spoon at Chanyeol as if that threatened the AI in any way. The spoon was rightfully smacked out of Baekhyun’s hands and clattered to the floor.

Sehun laughed feeling a bit at home with the banter and jumping in, “Oh, how’s the baby going to eat his ice cream now?”

While Chanyeol’s response was a hearty laugh, Baekhyun stopping his reach down to the floor to give Sehun a look of inquisitive nature, “What?”

“I’m …” Sehun paused, “I’m making fun of you because kids eat ice cream. And you’re acting like a kid.”

Baekhyun slowly finished his stretch to grab the spoon and then came back up with a thoughtful expression on his face, “I don’t think I’ve ever had ice cream.”

“Never?” Chanyeol asked, a bit stunned as well, “Not even before you came here?”

Baekhyun shook his head, “No. Is it good?”

“Better than Kyungsoo’s food.” Chanyeol said.

Both Sehun and Baekhyun chuckled, letting the oddity of the conversation slip away in favor of more useless jokes and exchanges.

* * *

Sehun had spent most of the day in awe and wonder of the inner workings of the monastery. He listened to Yixing explain how they grew vegetables underground and raised animals under the skylights built into the mountain sides. They talk endlessly about what’s coming out of the New World and the city. Albeit that isn’t very much since they seem hellbent on trying to instill governments that will inevitably be overthrown, but it’s more than Yixing had before. The closest they can get to order is within the city walls.

There was an KaiBot acting as a trainer that was supposed to keep the boys active, but now Jongin and Baekhyun just do pilates to very, very old music.

“What do you mean Katy Perry isn’t big anymore?” Baekhyun asked with a stunned face.

Sehun found it really cute.

He spent the longest time with Minseok, though, who talked about mechanics and kept everything running. There was an underground spring from which they drew untainted water, and with a near perfect purifying process, they had managed to recycle it for years and years. He explained that they didn’t have a perfect power source so they used the water in a mill to power what few electrical instruments they used beyond themselves. As for that, they all charged each night off of a gigantic battery the original owner installed.

Sehun was a little bit of an electronics junkie himself. He designed his pack to electronically seal and open to a code he alone had memorized. This was one of the reasons why he made so much money off being a courier. People seemed to trust something that couldn’t be opened easily.

At the end of the day he walked along the walls where there were depictions of their religion raised out of the surface of the rock walls. They were magnificent images depicting a beautiful woman who lived at the center of the earth, and out from her flowed every single thing in existence. Plants and trees and water and long curving people that walked on the planet right from her fingertips. It was stunning the amount of work that went into it.

If only Sehun wasn’t an atheist.

* * *

Baekhyun watched the fire crackle in boredom. He had hung out with Chanyeol all day like usual on Sundays. Those were dedicated to rest and fun, so he always played games with Chanyeol. If it hadn’t been raining he would have gone outside, but instead he went to his work out with Sehun and found the less than flexible boy to be quite humorous.

“Thinking about Sehun?” Chanyeol asked out of the blue as they sat in the fire’s pool of warmth together.

Baekhyun made a face, “Uh no.”

“Liar.” Chanyeol elbowed him, “Are you in looooove?”

Another face. “Just because we’re both humans doesn’t mean I’m gonna fall in love with him.”

“But he is super cute. Even I know that.” Chanyeol remarked, turning his gaze back to the fire.

Before Baekhyun could agree, Sehun walked up with a plate full of snacks.

In immediate response Chanyeol jumped up and clapped his hands, “Well I better get to bed. Goodnight!”

“It’s really early--” Baekhyun started before Chanyeol cut him off.

“Feeling sluggish, must have been a loose charge last night--gotta go!” Chanyeol winked and all but sprinted away from the two boys.

Sehun watched with curiosity as the robot bounded away from them and wondered briefly if he had done something to offend or if this was just another inside joke between the two of them he would never have enough time or willpower to comprehend.

Baekhyun sighed before looking back at Sehun, “So are you going to share your snacks?”

“Oh yeah.” Sehun quickly joined Baekhyun on the carpet in front of the fire and placed the platter of fruit between them.

The monk took a grape and popped it in his mouth. There were a couple moments of silence as they both watched the fire and ate the beautiful looking arrangement Kyungsoo had created.

Baekhyun, as always, broke the silence, “Yixing says you might have to stay another day. The rain won’t let up until after tomorrow.”

“Such a shame.” Sehun said sarcastically, “In all seriousness, I have enjoyed being here.”

“I’ve enjoyed you being here.” Baekhyun said softly, “I miss people sometimes. A lot of them aren’t cool like you either. Are all couriers this cool?”

“No. Most of us are loners trying to make a quick buck delivering whatever.”

Baekhyun cocked his head suddenly wondering, “What are you delivering right now?”

“Actually just a love letter. Of all things.” Sehun laughed, thinking about the lovestruck boy who was writing to some girl in the city.

“That’s cute. I read about that once. There’s a romance novel in the library here and I read it out of boredom one week.” Baekhyun stretched his muscles, still feeling the soreness from Jongin’s newest routine. Jongin always gets a little bit of a boost in information when travellers stop by too so Baekhyun was feeling the heat of it right now. He cocked his head, “Are you in love right now, Sehun?”

Sehun laughed, “No I’m not currently in love with anyone. I was once. Maybe a while ago. Have you been in love?”

A strange look passed across Baekhyun’s face that made Sehun acutely aware of the fact that Baekhyun was different from anyone he’s met before. Sehun realized he had been watching the profile of the boy’s face for a while now. He admired how his nose was turned down and no matter how his hair laid it looked fitting.

“No.” Baekhyun said after a moment. He turned to meet Sehun’s gaze with an appropriate amount of wonder, “It sounds nice though.”

Sehun nodded, making an mhmm sort of noise, but not daring to leave the comforting gaze between them. 

The movement that came from Baekhyun was subtle then as he slid his palm out against the floor and leaned in closer to Sehun. With a little fluttering of his eyelids, Sehun gave in to what felt like gravitational pull between them and Baekhyun ended up surprising him. He closed the distance and kissed him with what could only be described as inaccuracy. It was just more of a push this onto that, and Sehun found himself pulling back to laugh.

“Wait wait --” Sehun let out a couple breathy laughs, pulling himself together, “Where on earth did you learn how to do that?”

Baekhyun's face got red suddenly, “Listen, I just read about it in a book, don’t be a jerk!”

And with that Sehun burst into full on laughter, rocking onto his back to do so.

It was absolutely contagious since Baekhyun laid back and giggled himself, “I never even finished the book so I just assume it had a good ending after that part.”

Seeing as he hadn’t laughed like this for a while, Sehun opened his eyes and took in a moment. He realized he had been smiling so widely and let it fade for just a second so he could turn his head to admire that dashing profile once more. The shadows of the fire danced across his face and for some reason he didn’t see Baekhyun as the boastful, out-of-touch monk like he had before. He saw him as his own planet orbiting a solar system entirely different from Sehun’s world. Sehun was merely a visitor in this complexly stagnant world that Baekhyun inhabited, and he couldn’t stay long.

“Maybe you should finish that book.” Sehun noted with a softer touch to his voice than before, “And it wasn’t awful for a first try.”

Baekhyun did a little fist pump to himself. And celebrated with another snack from the plate of goodies.

Sehun found that cute too.

* * *

There was a time before all this, Sehun thought. When he didn’t stop at strange monasteries in the mountains where even stranger monk boys lived among robots. A time when all the satellites still worked so love letters could be texted, not delivered. A time when you didn’t need to know the land, read the weather, and eat canned beans for a week just to get from one place to another. 

There was a time when Sehun had dreams and desires. He wanted to get married and have a couple dogs and work a stupid desk job or something. Something that didn’t include meeting this odd boy that had been displaced by society and time.

Now he was sitting here watching that same boy sleep with peaceful, even breathing and the covers pulled up just under his nose. In a few minutes Junmyeon would come knock on the door, but until then Sehun would sit and think about how the rain still sounds as it patters about outside.

* * *

He had decided to again join Baekhyun for a workout with the ever graceful KaiBot, Jongin.

However, he didn’t know that today was abs day. He also did not know he wasn’t graceful.

Baekhyun was a bit slower as they did crunch after crunch in various positions. A roll that didn’t look anything like the one Jongin did and then another crunch from the side.

“You guys are doing great!” Jongin lied from the front as Sehun laid on his back.

His breath came in heavy blows to his ribs and the burn between his lungs was making him feel like his aerobics needed even more work than scaling mountains already did for him. He coughed and laughed as Jongin urged them on from afar.

“You aren’t giving up, are you?” Baekhyun teased as he rolled over onto his hands and knees, “Aren’t you like a courier or something?’

Sehun wasn’t going to be outdone by a monk for sure.

* * *

“Sehun’s in the shower?” Chanyeol asked, lounging about idly as he watched Baekhyun comb his hair.

“Yeah …” Baekhyun responded with distraction in his voice, “He’s pretty worn out.”

“From all of the flirting?” Chanyeol smirked.

But the smirk that was rebounded at him from Baekhyun was twice as intimidating, “Well about that …”

Chanyeol paused, his robot brain calculating things fairly quickly. His eyes then lit up, “Whoa-No way! What happened?”

The human shrugged with a knowing grin on his face, turning away from the mirror he had been combing his hair in. “I dunno … maybe we kissed.”

“Kissed? Last night?” The ideas of romance hadn’t exactly been programmed into Chanyeol’s head but he was elated to see Baekhyun connecting with the courier boy.

“Apparently I had no idea what I was doing.” Baekhyun admitted, dropping his act of boastfulness and making his way over to the bed Chanyeol was inhabiting.

Chanyeol shifted slightly so Baekhyun could make himself a spot on the other end of the bed. Once the monk was settled in a meditation position he knew all too well, he looked up at Chanyeol.

“So it didn’t go well?” Chanyeol was hesitant to say.

“Oh no,” Baekhyun smiled, “It was fine. He was really sweet about it once he stopped making fun of me.”

“I think I approve of this guy.”

Baekhyun grabbed the pillow next to him and tossed it at his robot companion, “As if I need your approval. He’s gonna leave soon so no use even bothering with it.”

“But you like him.” Chanyeol accused, snapping the pillow back at Baekhyun and hitting him squarely in the face, “Plus maybe if he likes you enough he’ll take you home with him. You’d make a great housewife.”

An intense eyeroll ensued, “I’m no housewife.”

Occasionally conversations between them would turn into this. Chanyeol would make some sort of comment that might seem to be in fun and jest but there was an underlying feeling that he was also trying to convince Baekhyun to leave. It made him a little sad and even more perplexed. It must have been evident too.

“I didn’t mean it like that, Baek.” Chanyeol said softly.

“No, I know.” The boy took the pillow and wrapped his arms around it. His fingers curled into the feather fluffed object, and his words came out like sighs, “I’ve been thinking about it more lately. Sehun tells me what it’s like outside and I think about how much I’m missing sitting in here. I can’t even fathom a future without you and everybody else, though. What would you guys even do if I were to go missing?”

Chanyeol nodded empathetically, “I never want to hold you back, though. Even if you leave there will still be people who stop here for the night. There’s still tons of information we have archived. Kyungsoo and I will still put weird ingredients together to make soup. It would be okay.”

Baekhyun should have laughed. He would have laughed any other time before this, but it felt a little too real to him right now. It did however seek to make him feel a little bit better. It was only normal for him to think about going out into the world. Or kissing Sehun. Or sitting under the stars and talking for hours. But he would always stay here. Humans need humans after all.

“Thanks, Chanyeol.” Baekhyun said sincerely.

Chanyeol nodded again.

“Also,” Baekhyun released the pillow, “Did you know apparently you can kiss for like a long time? It’s supposed to be fun.”

“What?” Chanyeol furrowed his eyebrows, “Why?”

“I dunno. I guess it’s called making out.”

“Humans are weird.”

* * *

Yixing tapped a monitor that read information from little mechanical meters Minseok had carefully built and placed all over the mountain (with Baekhyun’s help of course). He was thoughtfully going over weather data he had accumulated and a slight smile crossed his face once he finished his calculations.

“I suppose you might leave tomorrow.” Yixing turned in his swiveling seat away from the monitors and to the table where Sehun sat waiting for news, “Seems the rain will be done tonight.”

“Seems like it gets longer and longer every time.” Sehun thought out loud.

Yixing seemed a bit perplexed by the idea, glancing back at the notes scrawled across grid paper in his lab and the little calculations he had written down when RAM ran low in his isomorphic brain. He thought very rarely about the apocalyptic symptoms of the outside world since they rarely affected him or the lives of those he sought to maintain within the sanctuary.

“I believe it’s actually been getting better.” He concluded, “Rains once lasted weeks. The last time a rain last more than six days was two years ago. Perhaps things are turning around for the better.”

Sehun believed him.

* * *

There was no spoken agreement that they would meet that night in the same place they had talked so long the night before. Yet Sehun walked up to Baekhyun with a smile on his face, a bottle in hand as the light from the fire flickered on while the robots plugged in for the night.

“Have you ever had rum?” Sehun asked, putting the bottle between them as he sat down and stretched out in the warmth of the fire.

Baekhyun shook his head, “Is that some sort of newfangled cool kid thing.”

An eye-roll ensued, “No. Rum is quite literally older than you.”

Sehun cracked the bottle open. He carried it with him in case the nights got a bit cold or there was a reason to celebrate. Leaving this monastery wasn’t exactly a reason to celebrate but he figured it would be a fitting end.

He took a quick swig and handed it over to Baekhyun.

Not one to turn down a new adventure, Baekhyun took it and put it to his lips. He drank some in, but instantly realized that this wasn’t like anything he had before.

Before the burn could get any worse he swallowed it quickly, “What in--Does it always burn?”

Sehun had tried to keep it together but he let out one breath reminiscent of a laugh and reeled back, snatching the bottle from Baekhyun’s clammy hands.

“Yes. It burns bad now, but it’ll burn good later.” He took a quick swig and handed it back, “Do it quick so you look cool and manly for once.”

Baekhyun huffed, “I’m cool and manly, please.”

He took it quickly and this time the burn made its way down his throat and settled in his stomach. An odd sensation of warmth emanated from it and he had to admit that he didn’t exactly see the appeal of it yet. They had glasses of wine occasionally for the new year, but alcohol intake wasn’t hugely popular within a group of robots.

But still they drank until suddenly Baekhyun understood the appeal. Their conversations became deeper and then sillier and then back to the depth of two people soul searching within each other. They whiled away close to a half of the bottle before Baekhyun realized he felt calm, loose, warm and a couple inches deeper in his skin than he had earlier. He also felt an odd urge to share his feelings out loud and to do something stupid.

“Sehun.” Baekhyun said, the giggles pausing instantly as they did, “I have to tell you something.”

“Okay.” Sehun rolled onto his side, a bit unconscious of how he got onto his back in the first place.

“A while back Chanyeol and I went to look at the power source. It’s normally guarded but we knew when everyone is busy and … I don’t think it’s refilled by some supernatural force, Sehun.” His face grew somewhat solemn, “I think … it’s just a battery.”

“Well I’m sure the supernatural force is metaphorical.” Sehun said matter-of-factly, “It’s probably like solar powered. Although something that huge would need a lot of panels. There could be other explanations.”

“No I …” Baekhyun sighed, shutting his eyes tightly, “I’d have to see it again. I just … I don’t know.”

Sehun understood the gravity of what Baekhyun was saying and stood up without a moment’s hesitation. He then offered his hand to Baekhyun, “Let’s go look then.”

* * *

“Junmyeon would kick my ass if he knew we were doing this.” Baekhyun informed his cohort in a hushed whisper.

Sehun elected not to respond to him, instead listening to the echo of his shoes around the hollow stone hallway and Baekhyun’s hushed breathing. They crept along with the guidance of a lantern he grasped firmly with his outstretched arm. If only there wasn’t a wary ghost scratching at the back of his head to remind him this journey only spells trouble.

Finally they reached a door that gave way to a gentle press of Sehun’s palm. As it began to open, light from the lantern spilled out across the room. When his eyes adjusted, he could see the monstrous battery standing on the other side of the room.

“I know you’re the strong and silent type, but saying some words would be appreciated.” Baekhyun said quietly, just over Sehun’s shoulder.

“Some words.” Sehun mumbled, pressing forward beyond the door frame and getting closer to the dusty piece of machinery.

Baekhyun didn’t have time to one-up Sehun’s sarcastic comments since they pushed forward into the room he dreaded the most. Anxiety crept up his throat as he neared the charging station. He conveniently had forgotten to mention to Sehun what it would look like.

If Sehun was creeped out, though, he didn’t show it too much. His eyes widened a bit as he looked down at all seven of Baekhyun’s robot friends sitting motionless as they charged. Chanyeol was the closest to the end and his head was down so Sehun could see the cord that linked his neck to that vital power supply.

All of a sudden the realization came that these were really just intelligent pieces of machinery.

“Does it look like anything you’ve seen?” Baekhyun’s low voice breaks into Sehun’s thoughts.

His eyes flicked up to the console that connected Chanyeol to the battery.

Careful not to touch any of the powered down robots, Sehun stepped up to console and wiped a thin layer of dust off the monitor. The display lit up, faintly reading off some numbers that to Baekhyun looked to be like green on black gibberish, but Sehun had a chance to decipher.

“Fuck.” Sehun muttered.

“Fuck? Wait is that bad?” Baekhyun stepped up next to him, looking down at the screen with a worried expression, “It says low but it’s said that since Chanyeol and I came.”

The numbers finished printing on the screen. They sat there boldly proclaiming for a few more moments before the screen went dark again. Baekhyun swore he could hear cogs and wheels turning against each other in Sehun’s mind.

“We have to open this up.” Sehun said simply. 

His regard for the sleeping robots was put aside for a moment as he squatted down and started pulling at the panels that held the console together. Baekhyun immediately joined him, their shoulders pressed against each other as they silently worked. Eventually a panel started to budge and they both gave each other a look.

“Okay.” Sehun nodded, “3, 2 …”

They both pulled at once and the panel popped off, revealing a series of wires and boards. This was more Sehun’s language. He never had time for the gobble and goop of code, but wires and circuits made far more sense. Baekhyun watched with rapt intent as Sehun’s fingers ran across the coils. The flickering of the lantern paired with the flickering of the lights in front of Sehun’s face spoke solemn morse code.

“Fuck.” Sehun shook his head, more exasperated with this fuck than the last one.

“What the hell does that mean?” Baekhyun asked, “Isn’t that like a birds and bees word?”

“Fuck is …” Sehun blinked a couple times, “It’s a word you say when something goes wrong. Like damn or … or hell.”

“So it’s bad? I hate slang.”

Sehun put his hand against his mouth, but it didn’t muffle the words enough to keep him from saying them, “These lights on here are all red, see?”

Baekhyun nodded.

The hand on his lips moved to the console to point to the line of red lights, “They’re indicating that the battery is running on backup power. I have no idea how long a backup supply could be, but normally they’re only supposed to work for a few days.”

“So what you’re saying is …” A pause from the older boy, “There’s a chance that any day now they just won’t start up again.”

“Yeah.” Sehun said, glancing over to Baekhyun.

Baekhyun’s face was cold and didn’t respond to the heat of Sehun’s gaze.

He just looked ahead and the lights and whispered, “Fuck.”

* * *

They entered Baekhyun’s room, their lips stuck together from having not spoken a word since they left that room. Sehun stood in the doorway for a moment as Baekhyun pulled off his robes and started changing. He felt very heavy with the weight of what he had just experienced and moving seemed to take more effort than he had in him.

Eventually he brought himself to shut the door and head over to the little night stand between the beds. He lowered the lantern onto the nightstand before opening it up and blowing out the light. Darkness swept up the inner room quickly, leaving only a little light that came in from the bottom of the door to guide Sehun to his guest bed for the last time.

He didn’t have the care to change or anything, only sitting on the side of the bed to take off his shoes and listen to Baekhyun’s shallow breathing as he got ready to sleep as well. Dropping his shoes to the ground, Sehun pulled himself into bed. The covers and blankets he pulled up to his chest were still cool from being lonely and he felt out of place among them.

A few ragged moments passed of him just looking into the void above him and hearing faint shuffles from the other side of the room before he decided to shut his eyes. Tiredness pulled at him like quicksand so he gave in to let it take his muscles one by one.

Before he could slip out of his stream of consciousness, he felt a sudden pressure next to him on the bed. His eyes flicked open, but he couldn’t see anything. 

The movement paused suddenly, but he knew what it was.

Before any words could be said he slid over closer to the wall and reached out into the darkness until his hand met a clothed arm. He wrapped his fingers around it and gently pulled Baekhyun into the bed next to him. The older boy felt some sort of instinct in sliding under the covers next to him. He ended up with his head tucked under Sehun’s and the other boy’s arm hooked around his shoulders so he stayed close.

There were two warms bodies in the entire mountain and they both fell asleep pressed against each other.

* * *

“Baekhyun?” Junmyeon called, startling both the boys awake, “Time to go, it’s nice out.”

For once Baekhyun didn’t respond. He just let Junmyeon click down the hallway until he was gone. He continued to stay where he was, his nose pressed against Sehun’s neck as they laid there in the cramped little cot.

“We should …” Sehun sighed.

“You first.” Baekhyun groaned, “I’m just gonna stay here forever and then die.”

Sehun laughed, “Okay, have fun.”

“Yeah I will.”

* * *

After they had managed to get themselves up and ready to take on the day, Baekhyun disappeared to go talk with Jongdae. Sehun was getting the last little bit of water out of his hair with a towel when Chanyeol entered the room, wringing his hands together in a way that only a person capable of anxiety might.

“Sehun … can I talk to you?” He asked, falling in stride beside Sehun, “I know you have to get going soon, but Baekhyun won’t be out for a little and it’ll only take like a second. Maybe five minutes tops.”

“Chanyeol, just spit it out.” Sehun said, taking the towel and folding it up in the air.

“So, okay. You know how you have to leave today?”

Sehun finished folding the towel and looked up at Chanyeol, raising his eyebrows at the robot, “Yes.”

Chanyeol looked around the room as if to double check that nobody had evaporated into the room within the last forty-five seconds. Sehun placed the towel gently on the bedside table.

Then he met Sehun’s eyes with a sudden intensity he hadn’t had before, “You have to take Baekhyun with you.”

Sehun paused, his fingers still resting on the towel. Chanyeol didn’t laugh or snicker or say hey wasn’t that funny, you didn’t laugh. He just looked at Sehun with the seriousness that only a robot might.

“Come again?” Sehun said, unsure of what the proper response was.

“I mean it.” Chanyeol gestured soundlessly, “I know what you guys did last night. It’s part of my processing to never shut down. I know that … any day now I will cease to exist.”

Sehun’s eyes grew wide, “You can not tell Baek-”

“No.” Chanyeol cut him off firmly, “Because he’s going to leave with you.”

Sehun opened his mouth once again, but Chanyeol had a further point to make.

“Baekhyun has been here for so long. He’s spent years of his life with people that aren’t real and it’s not fair. He deserves to be out in the world with people like him and like you. He should travel and eat new things and maybe give love a go with you. It’s selfish of me to want him to stay here.” Chanyeol’s face was the same shade of skin, but his eyes were wet now as he asked Sehun this, “If you don’t take him now, then in a month or a week or tomorrow he’ll wake up to a silent monastery and there will be nobody here for him. Does that make sense, Sehun?”

Sehun had been asked for thousands of things over his lifetime, but this one could very well be the most important. He then cleared his throat and said, “That’s not my decision to make.”

“No, but you care about him. I don’t think you want him to deal with what he’s going to deal with,” Chanyeol looked away, “And if you ask … maybe he’ll say yes.”

A couple of emotions teethed Sehun’s tongue, but he forced them back down his throat, “I can try.”

Chanyeol let out a sigh of relief and smiled in a way that made Sehun, for just a second, question if this was really truly a robot. Had he not seen the proof he might have thought him a human just like him and Baekhyun.

Then Chanyeol spoke again, “I actually have one more thing to ask of you.”

* * *

Baekhyun’s thin fingers threaded through the grass on the ground and his respectively thin lips turned into an instant smile. The outdoors reminded him of being a kid in his backyard, running around with his neighborhood friends and pretending to be an adult with a job and a life. Those times felt so close when he smelled fresh air. If he shut his eyes he could still see what his family dog used to look like.

If it were any other day then maybe Baekhyun would sit here and admire the world for a little bit longer. But today he had a sad task to deal with.

He turned around to see Sehun walking out of the monastery in all his gear and looking quite like he had when they first met a few days ago.

Baekhyun stood up and brushed off his pants. He didn’t wear the monk-ish robes outside and especially for a goodbye as sad as this one. Sehun strolled up to Baekhyun while the older boy was busy adjusting his outfit.

“I’m jealous.” Baekhyun said, looking up to give Sehun a proper smirk, “You get to go walk in the woods now. I wish I was doing that.”

Those pretty fingers reached up and took the straps to Sehun’s backpack to pull him in closer. With a bend from one boy and a little push from the toes of the other, they kissed there in the sunny pasture. Their noses were soft against the other’s cheek and Baekhyun was filled with warmth from something beyond the sun. A warmth that, if anything, made him feel even worse about having to eventually let go.

Fortunately, a sudden sound next to his feet startled him back from the kiss instead.

“Then do it.” Sehun said softly.

Baekhyun’s eyes flicked down to see his own backpack sitting on the ground next to his feet where it was dropped from Sehun’s hands. He processed the two things slowly before realizing the implications at work.

“Sehun, I can’t.” Baekhyun’s eyes came back to Sehun’s while their faces were still quite close.

The young traveller’s sharp eyebrows accented the depth of heavy intent in his dark eyes. He didn’t move at all but to say, “You know you can, Baekhyun.”

It was a solid sullen silence between that phrase and the next. Words seek similar meanings, but make no mistake - they can never have the power that’s present when no words are spoken. Sehun stepped back enough that Baekhyun’s hands fell from his pack straps.

“Here.” He reached out, Baekhyun’s necklace hanging from his fingers with the two rings, a silver chip and key on it, “I’m going to start walking. You can go back inside or you can lock the door to the mountain and join me.”

One of those floating hands shakily turned its palm towards the sky. The necklace slipped from one set of fingers to another and Baekhyun kept his eyes on it as the body in front of him shifted to the side and took a cautious step away from him.

It took a lot of strength for Sehun to take the step after that. The perhaps normally comforting sound of grass and twig crunching underfoot felt loud and terrifying instead. The step after that was easier though, and the one after that felt more normal. The steps that followed were mellow and placid becoming more even the further he got away from the monastery.

“I can’t believe Chanyeol put you up to this.” Baekhyun said, a few step behind him as he fixed his own backpack on his shoulders, “He’s always trying to one-up me.”

Sehun stopped, an anxiety he had been unaware of suddenly disappeared and a sense of excitement flooded in. He smiled at the ground and waited for Baekhyun to catch up to him. When he did, he felt Baekhyun’s palm against his own and they laced their fingers together, catching pace with one another and continuing into the woods.

A tear rolled out of Baekhyun’s eye and made a journey down his cheek as if to parallel their own. He had fully intended to walk right back into the monastery, but something caught him off guard at the last second. Maybe it was the idea of saving all of them. The thought that someone in the city might fix the supply or they could recharge it. Maybe it was Chanyeol’s AI chip hanging on his neck that told him this was for the best.

But really, he felt that letting Sehun walk away was giving up on himself. He had never connected with somebody like he had with Sehun. He wasn’t sure if this was all human to human interaction or if that courier was different. But he knew that he had to find out if he wanted to truly be a part of the outside world. Nobody inside that mountain would have wanted anything different for him.

Baekhyun didn’t wipe away the tears as they walked. He let them dry where they were, and once he felt like his voice wouldn’t crack, he spoke again.

“I’m so excited to try ice cream.”


End file.
